The main objective of this trip was to climb the six ultra peaks, and if there was time to spare, perhaps visit one of the other lower or easier peaks. Due to the subtleties of acclimatisation, weather conditions, and logistics, we chose Cumbres Calchaquies for our first climb. The plan and the order changed several…
Country: Salta
Argentina – Salta
Argentina food
I am by no means attempting to give a comprehensive overview of Argentinian gastronomy. That would require its own book. Our destination was the mountain tops, not the culinary heights. So in this short article, I have only stuck to what we found along the way, what we managed to taste in a few short…
Cerro Castillejos
After we drive ten or fifteen kilometres along a private road, we stop at a farm, Franco talks to the owner’s brother, and we pitch our tents in the yard. The most spectacular sight of the evening is the huge insects flying around and glowing bright green. The light is so strong that you can…
Ruins of Quilmes
After Cerro Malcante, we head towards Cerros de Pereyra. However, not far from Cerros de Pereyra, we stop, turn around, and go back. In heavy rain, the chances of us coming up the river bed to the trail are slim. Our plans changed due to rain, and we rolled south towards Cerro Bolsón de los…
Museum of the Vine and Wine of Cafayate
It would be hard to miss the Wine Museum when walking around Cafayate. Modern, inexpensive, and interesting. We saw the exhibits and found out how the grapes that make such delicious wine are grown in Cafayate’s land and climate. We learned about the history and tasted red wine at the end of the exhibition. In…
Cafayate
A cosy town at the foot of the mountains in Valles Calchaques. We even have to spend a couple of nights there. The first time was on the way from Cumbres Calchaquies to Cerro Malcante, and the second time was on our way from Cerro Malcante to Cerro Bolsón de los Cerillos.. So I feel…
America Cultural Center
In the morning, we have a few hours, and we head to the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology. But it doesn’t open until 11 a.m.; it’s now 9 a.m., and we are not in the mood to wait. We go back, and on the way, we see an open door and, behind it, a magnificent…
Los Cardones National Park
We descend from Cerro Malcante and follow the national park road. Cactus lovers will be ecstatic; there are thousands of them here, in every conceivable size and shape. The park gets its name from Echinopsis terscheckii, also known as the Argentine saguaro or cardon grande cactus. Lovely. It’s worth coming and exploring the park vistas….
Cerro Malcante
The forbidden fruit is sweeter, and Cerro Malcante also intrigues us more than the other mountains. We arrive early in the morning, park the car on the side of the road, and a few minutes later we are climbing up the steep slope. So far, no one has stopped us, but a few hundred metres…
Cerro Altar
We stay in the tidy town of Cachi. It’s still late in the evening, and through the hotel window I can see a few small hills, also marked on the map as viewpoints. We go to visit them. Start by checking out the UFO landing strip. It’s a meticulous job; the white pebbles are arranged…
Calchaquí Valleys
The Calchaquí Valley stretches across several regions of Argentina, from the southern regions of Catamarca and Tucumán to the northern regions of Jujuy and Salta. We have driven this road several times; most of the photos were taken through the car window, but this is just the tip of the iceberg of what this valley…